Two individuals were found dead in a home on Lyerly Highway in Summerville on Tuesday evening after neighbors reported seeing buzzards circling the residence and notifying law enforcement for a welfare check.

Chattooga County Sheriff Mark Schrader confirmed the incident on Wednesday evening, stating that deputies were dispatched to the residence across from Chattooga High School on Highway 114 just before 7 pm. Neighbors had not observed any activity at the residence for about three weeks, prompting them to call 911.

Summerville Fire Chief Trey Skelton and members of the Summerville Fire Department assisted with making entry into the residence, where deputies and emergency personnel located the two deceased individuals. Preliminary findings corroborated the neighbors’ time frame of not seeing activity at the residence.

The Sheriff’s Office, along with Coroner Jeremy “Big Mac” McElhaney, are jointly investigating the deaths. Both individuals were sent to the GBI Medical Examiner for further examination. As of Wednesday night, the names of the deceased had not been released, and no word on the exact cause of death was available.

Sheriff Schrader expressed gratitude to the Summerville Fire Department and Atrium Health Floyd EMS for their invaluable assistance during the investigation. More information is expected to be released at a later time.

The investigation is ongoing, and updates will be provided as they become available.